The drums of war are beating louder: Media coverage of brown bears in Romania
The increasing demand for resources to meet the needs of our society has transformed the environment and increased the likelihood of human-wildlife interactions. Romania has the highest density of brown bears in Europe, with more than 7000 individuals populating the Carpathian Mountains and neighbor...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.50.86019 https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/86019/ |
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ftpensoft:10.3897/natureconservation.50.86019 2023-05-15T18:42:15+02:00 The drums of war are beating louder: Media coverage of brown bears in Romania Neagu,Andra Claudia Manolache,Steluta Rozylowicz,Laurentiu 2022 text/html https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.50.86019 https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/86019/ en eng Pensoft Publishers info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1314-3301 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/1314-6947 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Nature Conservation 50: 65-84 brown bear human-bear interaction human-carnivore coexistence human-wildlife conflicts media content analysis Ursus arctos Research Article 2022 ftpensoft https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.50.86019 2022-10-17T23:57:00Z The increasing demand for resources to meet the needs of our society has transformed the environment and increased the likelihood of human-wildlife interactions. Romania has the highest density of brown bears in Europe, with more than 7000 individuals populating the Carpathian Mountains and neighboring areas. The large brown bear population in Romania inhabits ever-increasing human-dominated landscapes, which frequently results in conflict with humans. The means and frequency by which the media communicates information to the readership influence the public perception of human-wildlife conflicts. This research is intended to contribute to the existing knowledge on human-brown bear coexistence in Romania by (1) exploring how the Romanian media depicts human-brown bear interactions in terms of the main themes discussed, framing of issues (emotions and key messages), and likely impacts on public perception; (2) analyzing the changes in reporting on human brown-bear interactions following the transition of the legal status of the brown bear from game to strictly protected species; and (3) investigating suggested policy and management solutions. The results indicate that news stories related to brown bears became common in Romanian mass media after 2016, when a provisional one-year ban on culling was instated, after which it increased abruptly in 2021, following the whistleblowing of an alleged trophy hunting event. The focus on human-bear interaction and hunting/poaching themes has not changed; however, the position of the media toward brown bears has become increasingly negative, even when presenting news stories covering human-bear interactions that incur no harm. To facilitate human-brown bear coexistence in Romania, scientists and practitioners should communicate with media representatives and provide a supplementary context for news stories. Evidence-informed news can help authorities better understand conflicts and create bottom-up pathways toward an optimistic future for brown bears and Romanian society. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ursus arctos Pensoft Publishers Nature Conservation 50 65 84 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Pensoft Publishers |
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ftpensoft |
language |
English |
topic |
brown bear human-bear interaction human-carnivore coexistence human-wildlife conflicts media content analysis Ursus arctos |
spellingShingle |
brown bear human-bear interaction human-carnivore coexistence human-wildlife conflicts media content analysis Ursus arctos Neagu,Andra Claudia Manolache,Steluta Rozylowicz,Laurentiu The drums of war are beating louder: Media coverage of brown bears in Romania |
topic_facet |
brown bear human-bear interaction human-carnivore coexistence human-wildlife conflicts media content analysis Ursus arctos |
description |
The increasing demand for resources to meet the needs of our society has transformed the environment and increased the likelihood of human-wildlife interactions. Romania has the highest density of brown bears in Europe, with more than 7000 individuals populating the Carpathian Mountains and neighboring areas. The large brown bear population in Romania inhabits ever-increasing human-dominated landscapes, which frequently results in conflict with humans. The means and frequency by which the media communicates information to the readership influence the public perception of human-wildlife conflicts. This research is intended to contribute to the existing knowledge on human-brown bear coexistence in Romania by (1) exploring how the Romanian media depicts human-brown bear interactions in terms of the main themes discussed, framing of issues (emotions and key messages), and likely impacts on public perception; (2) analyzing the changes in reporting on human brown-bear interactions following the transition of the legal status of the brown bear from game to strictly protected species; and (3) investigating suggested policy and management solutions. The results indicate that news stories related to brown bears became common in Romanian mass media after 2016, when a provisional one-year ban on culling was instated, after which it increased abruptly in 2021, following the whistleblowing of an alleged trophy hunting event. The focus on human-bear interaction and hunting/poaching themes has not changed; however, the position of the media toward brown bears has become increasingly negative, even when presenting news stories covering human-bear interactions that incur no harm. To facilitate human-brown bear coexistence in Romania, scientists and practitioners should communicate with media representatives and provide a supplementary context for news stories. Evidence-informed news can help authorities better understand conflicts and create bottom-up pathways toward an optimistic future for brown bears and Romanian society. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Neagu,Andra Claudia Manolache,Steluta Rozylowicz,Laurentiu |
author_facet |
Neagu,Andra Claudia Manolache,Steluta Rozylowicz,Laurentiu |
author_sort |
Neagu,Andra Claudia |
title |
The drums of war are beating louder: Media coverage of brown bears in Romania |
title_short |
The drums of war are beating louder: Media coverage of brown bears in Romania |
title_full |
The drums of war are beating louder: Media coverage of brown bears in Romania |
title_fullStr |
The drums of war are beating louder: Media coverage of brown bears in Romania |
title_full_unstemmed |
The drums of war are beating louder: Media coverage of brown bears in Romania |
title_sort |
drums of war are beating louder: media coverage of brown bears in romania |
publisher |
Pensoft Publishers |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.50.86019 https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/86019/ |
genre |
Ursus arctos |
genre_facet |
Ursus arctos |
op_source |
Nature Conservation 50: 65-84 |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1314-3301 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/1314-6947 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.50.86019 |
container_title |
Nature Conservation |
container_volume |
50 |
container_start_page |
65 |
op_container_end_page |
84 |
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1766231886045118464 |